Truro's Eric Banks gets coveted exemption for Ashburn tourney

Eric Banks tees off at the 17th hole of the final round of the Nova Scotia Men's Amateur Golf Tournament in Truro, Saturday, July 9, 2011. Banks won the tournament. (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff)

The Nova Scotia Open will have some local flair when the Web.com Tour stop hits Ashburn Golf Club’s New Course next month.

Truro lefty Eric Banks, who just completed his junior year at the University of Florida, has received an exemption to play in the US$650,000 tournament, July 3-6 in Windsor Junction.

“It’s an amazing feeling, knowing I will be playing in front of my family and friends in Nova Scotia,” Banks said in a news release.

The 21-year-old Banks and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., the top-ranked Canadian amateur golfer, have each earned amateur exemptions.

Banks, who underwent open heart surgery in the summer of 2012, became the first Nova Scotian in 25 years to qualify for the Canadian Open last July.

In April, he was named the recipient of the David Toms Award, given annually to the men’s collegiate golfer who has overcome adversity.

“Playing my junior year at college and also playing in the RBC Canadian Open were incredible experiences,” Banks said. “But the opportunity to come home and play for the people that supported me on this journey, that will be a memory I cherish forever.”

The Nova Scotia Open is part of a week-long golf extravaganza known as GOLFest Nova Scotia which includes the RBC Canada Cup exhibition match featuring PGA Tour players, a top-level junior tournament and a nine-hole pro-am event.

Banks and Ashburn general manager Gordie Smith are the only golfers to win both the Nova Scotia amateur and junior championships in the same year.

Smith, who, in 1988, was the last Bluenose golfer to play in the Canadian Open, expects Banks to hold his own among the pros.

“I think Eric will do very well,” Smith said during a Tuesday news conference at the New Course.

“Eric will have a huge following for that whole week. He’s the type of player that this golf course suits. He hits it fairly straight and is a great putter. I would love to see him around on the weekend and even in contention. I think it would be great for the event.”

Grant MacDonald, director of GOLFest Nova Scotia, said other exemptions for pros on the PGA Tour Canada and the Web.com Tour are forthcoming.

Baddeck’s Peter Campbell, who has spent the past three seasons playing on the PGA Tour Canada and its sister development circuit in Latin America, has been rumoured as a potential consideration for an exemption.

“We are working on other exemptions and on the professional side, I can say that work will continue over the next week to 10 days,” said MacDonald, who works for SportBox Entertainment Group sports management and marketing firm.

“There is a reshuffle that will take place after the (Web.com Tour) event in Wichita (Air Capital Classic, June 19-22). After that, we will be able to announce the remaining exemptions for professional players who have earned status either on the PGA Tour Canada or the Web.com Tour.”

“We are more than 30 (per cent sold) but not sold out,” he said. “It’s the first week of summer. School’s out and families are going to be looking at vacation schedules and other activities.

“It’s a first-year event and being able to connect with the consumer is something that we have to work at. We want to make sure the local sports community and everybody understands the scope and magnitude of this event.”

With limited parking at Ashburn, MacDonald said a shuttle service from the nearby subdivisions of Capilano Estates and Fall River Village will be provided for spectators.

“When people (ask), ‘Grant, what keeps you up at night?’ It’s parking,” MacDonald said.

“We’ve come up with a transportation solution that hopefully will create the shortest amount of travel time but will not unduly impact the residents of the community. It’s not perfect but it is a solution that we can make work.”

The course will play as a par-71 for the Nova Scotia Open and will measure at 6,906 yards. The second hole, 557 yards from the tips, will become a par-4 for the four-round tournament. Still, Smith expects a new competitive course record will be established that week. The record is 69.

“These are some of the best players in the world and they’ll rip up every golf course,” Smith said. “I expect Thursday or Friday morning if we have a nice day somebody will shoot in the low 60s. But the greens will play very tough and I’m very confident this will be won or lost on the greens.”